A monestary on every mountain [Archive] - Wizards Community

A monestary on every mountain [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Radijs
09-20-07, 10:16 AM I think its a problem with narrow thinking for me but whenever I think of a monk I immediately make the link that he came from some kind of monestary high up some mountain somewhere.

Or that he or she was a street fighter of some sort.

But I know that there have to be more reasons for monk. Please help me and other unimaginatives find them!
Uberwoot
09-20-07, 11:47 AM Actually, the first idea that comes to my mind when I consider a monk's origins is that of a reclusive master, passing enlightenment and physical training down to a handful of students. His "monastery" might actually be a simple hut on the edge of a village,

Of course, not every monastery need be on top of a mountain. A mountaintop might be chosen as the site for a monastery for a few distinct factors that appeal to pursuers of enlightenment through meditation. The mountaintop, which is relatively inaccessible, implies seclusion; most people simply don't visit because it's difficult to reach, so you have a quiet place, free from the distractions of society, where you can separate a trainee from his family so as to instill radically new concepts into him. You might also argue that the thin air at higher altitudes can help develop additional toughness.

Alternatively, a monastery that places emphasis on developing the character of its monks through obedience, humility, and servitude might be near a small city, where the monks serve a vital function in the city's daily life, certainly one that is simple and probably clean (not waste management), and especially one that is humble or even ignominious, and certainly not a task that is above the station of a peasant or slave. Perhaps for the purpose of breaking down the ego, they require that the training monks perform tasks usually relegated to another gender. A prime example would be growing crops.

Considering other possibilities for examples here, I remembered an old school I dreamed up called the Truth of the Void. The school's masters maintain that enlightenment cannot be attained while any desires or emotions of the flesh remain; one place they might consider establishing a monastery would be near a city's outskirts, where they would handle the somewhat macabre duty of burying the city's dead. Instruction is handled in the catacombs beneath the monastery, where teachers use the backdrop of death to illustrate the ephemeral nature of life.

The idea here is that you can choose the location of a monastery to suit the requirements you want, and that monasteries can emphasize an extremely wide array of traits in their monks.

/woot
Terjon of the Blue Rose
09-20-07, 11:12 PM I think the name can be a bit misleading in the case of monk. I've always been enamored of concepts like the street fighter who devotes himself after realizing an unusual talent at his art. I like the Irish brawler or barroom bouncer who uses a boxing style with the occasional headbutt thrown in. True higher level abilaties often don't really fit but then, hey, that's what prestige classes are for.

A few basic alternates that work nicely with monk.

Brawlers (see above): You get tougher to hit and hit harder as you learn your way through barroom fights.

Olympians: The combat advantages are a secondary benefit to years of training their body to its penultimate form.

Mystics: You have developed a magic synthesis. Your body and mind; your soul and magic, have become as one.

Hermits: Introduced to the martial arts years hence you have left the world behind to reach new levels of perfection. You may sit on a mountain-top but you may also travel to more difficult terrains as that becomes to simple a life for you to grow stronger.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Radijs 09-20-07, 10:16 AM	I think its a problem with narrow thinking for me but whenever I think of a monk I immediately make the link that he came from some kind of monestary high up some mountain somewhere. Or that he or she was a street fighter of some sort. But I know that there have to be more reasons for monk. Please help me and other unimaginatives find them!
Uberwoot 09-20-07, 11:47 AM	Actually, the first idea that comes to my mind when I consider a monk's origins is that of a reclusive master, passing enlightenment and physical training down to a handful of students. His "monastery" might actually be a simple hut on the edge of a village, Of course, not every monastery need be on top of a mountain. A mountaintop might be chosen as the site for a monastery for a few distinct factors that appeal to pursuers of enlightenment through meditation. The mountaintop, which is relatively inaccessible, implies seclusion; most people simply don't visit because it's difficult to reach, so you have a quiet place, free from the distractions of society, where you can separate a trainee from his family so as to instill radically new concepts into him. You might also argue that the thin air at higher altitudes can help develop additional toughness. Alternatively, a monastery that places emphasis on developing the character of its monks through obedience, humility, and servitude might be near a small city, where the monks serve a vital function in the city's daily life, certainly one that is simple and probably clean (not waste management), and especially one that is humble or even ignominious, and certainly not a task that is above the station of a peasant or slave. Perhaps for the purpose of breaking down the ego, they require that the training monks perform tasks usually relegated to another gender. A prime example would be growing crops. Considering other possibilities for examples here, I remembered an old school I dreamed up called the Truth of the Void. The school's masters maintain that enlightenment cannot be attained while any desires or emotions of the flesh remain; one place they might consider establishing a monastery would be near a city's outskirts, where they would handle the somewhat macabre duty of burying the city's dead. Instruction is handled in the catacombs beneath the monastery, where teachers use the backdrop of death to illustrate the ephemeral nature of life. The idea here is that you can choose the location of a monastery to suit the requirements you want, and that monasteries can emphasize an extremely wide array of traits in their monks. /woot
Terjon of the Blue Rose 09-20-07, 11:12 PM	I think the name can be a bit misleading in the case of monk. I've always been enamored of concepts like the street fighter who devotes himself after realizing an unusual talent at his art. I like the Irish brawler or barroom bouncer who uses a boxing style with the occasional headbutt thrown in. True higher level abilaties often don't really fit but then, hey, that's what prestige classes are for. A few basic alternates that work nicely with monk. Brawlers (see above): You get tougher to hit and hit harder as you learn your way through barroom fights. Olympians: The combat advantages are a secondary benefit to years of training their body to its penultimate form. Mystics: You have developed a magic synthesis. Your body and mind; your soul and magic, have become as one. Hermits: Introduced to the martial arts years hence you have left the world behind to reach new levels of perfection. You may sit on a mountain-top but you may also travel to more difficult terrains as that becomes to simple a life for you to grow stronger.